Hills Prescription w/d Diets are high in fibre and lower in energy than most other diets. Vets will often prescribe it for weight control in cats, but is useful for many other conditions too. The fibre levels slow down the passage of food through the gut, delaying the absorption of some nutrients. The fibre passes down into the colon where it helps to promote the health of the large intestine and the production of well formed stools.

Is w/d suitable for my cat?

Vet had put my cat on w/d following bad attack of collitus and trouble with blocked anal glands. However she is overweight 7.47 kg. Do you agree with recommendation?

John Cousins BVSc MRCVS

Non-Executive Director

Hills w/d is a high fibre diet and is often recommended for weight reduction and also for some types of colitis. The diet is a reasonable suggestion and many vets would agree with it.

Having said that, there is a move away from cereal containing diets for cats which is gathering more general acceptance now. Hills w/d contains maize, oats and rice which are useful in some ways, but their inclusion in a diet intended for a natural carnivore is open to question. A wild living carnivore does consume moderate amounts of roughage, which are useful for digestive health and function, so a pure meat diet is not suitable either. Providing these for a pet cat is not as simple as it sounds. Wild cats would consume bone, skin, hair, feathers, intestinal contents (part digested plant material usually) and all sorts to produce their balanced diet. The closest match to this in a commercial diet would be something like Orijen cat food. The cereal-free formulation seems to help with weight loss too, in a completely different way from diets like w/d. Personally I would be tempted to try a diet like this with your cat, but you should discuss it with your vet first and be ready to monitor how it impacts on any colitis. It might be the perfect diet for your cat, but nothing is right for every individual and careful assessment is needed for all changes to a previous diet.